Mail delivering and catching device.



Patehted Sept. 2, I902.

w. J. NOBLE. MAIL DELIVERING AND CATCHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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Patented Sept. 2, I902. W. J. NOBLE. MAIL DELIVERING AND GATCHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1902.)

2Shaets-Shuat 2.

(No Model.)

/ N VE N TOR amea .Jfi Ze WITNESSES Q- ITED *STATES" vVILLIAM JAMES NOBLE, OF PI-IILADELPI-IIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ELLA MOGINNIS, OF PRINCETON,"NEW J ERSEY.

MAIL DELIVERlNG AND CATCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,390, dated September 2, 1.902.

7 Application filed April 10, 1902. Serial No. 102,244. (No model.)

To all whom it nuty concern: knot or stop F adapted to abut against the Be it known that I,l/VILLIAM JAMES NOBLE, tie-plate at the outer face thereof to allow the a citizen of the United States, and a resident operator to draw the tie taut and close the of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelloop F tightly around the mail bag or pouch 5 phia and State of Pennsylvania, have inat or near the middle thereof to securely hold vented a new and Improved Mail Delivering the pouch in position on the tie. and Catching Device, of which the following On the arm 0 between the hook D and the isa full, clear, and exact description. pivot B is arranged a receiving device I,

The object of the invention is to provide a adaptedto receive the tie F similar to the 10 new and improved mail delivering and catchtie F, and arranged to carry the mail pouch or ingdevice which is simple and durable in bag G to be passed from the track-station H construction, very effiectiveinoperation, and to the mail-car A. The tie F is provided arranged to positively deliver a mail pouch with ,a tie plate F and a stop F the same as or bag from a passing train to a track-station the tie F, and the ends of the said tie F are x5 and simultaneously cause an outgoing mail provided with the hooks E, of which the up pouch or bag to be picked up by the train from per one is adapted to engage a suspending the station. device in the form of a hook J, formed on the Theinvention consists of novelfeatures and outer end of an arm K, fulcrumed on and parts and combinations of the same, as will mounted to slide on the pivot L, held longi- 7o 20 be more fully described hereinafter and then tudinally in the framework N of the trackpointed out in the claims. station H. The arm K carries a receiving de- A practical embodiment of the invention is vice 0, similar to the receiving device I and represented in the accompanying drawings, adapted to receive the tie F, suspended from forming a part of this specification, in which the hook D of the arm 0 on the mail-car A 25 similar characters of referenceindicate corat the time the latter passes the station H. responding parts in allthe views. The lower hook E on the tie F is adapted to Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement be hooked onto a hook P of a spring-arm P,

i as applied, parts being shovvnin section. Fig; attached to the framework N, so that the 2 is a cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a mail-pouch G and its tie is held against 30 like view of the same with parts in position swaying caused by the wind when suspended after exchange of the mail-pouches from the on the hook J. station to the mail-car and from the mail-car The arm 0 of the mail-car A is provided to the station, and Fig. 4 is a perspective with an undercut lug G forward of the fulview of a mail-pouch holder. crum or pivot 13, and this lug C is adapted 5 Lengthwise of the door-opening A and at to be engaged by a catch Q, fulcrumed on the outside of the mail-car A is arranged a thecar A at the top beam of the opening A. longitudinally-extending pivot 13, on which The arm 0 is provided with an inward exis mounted to swing up and down and to slide tension C 'under the control of the operator longitudinally an arm 0, provided at its outer in the mail-car A to swing the arm O into an 0 end with a suspending device in the form of active position,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the

a hookD for the reception of one of the arm being temporarily locked in this posispring-hooks E, held on the ends of a flexible tion by the catch Q engaging the lug Othat tie F, such'as arope, the tie being adapted is, during the time the car approaches the to form a loop or noose F for engaging the track-station H. 5 middle of the mail bag or pouch G to be de- Upon the end of the extension C is a pin i livered from the mail-car A to the track-sta- 0 adapted to be engaged by alink Q, on the tion H, as hereinafter more fully described. catchQ to lock the latter and the arm 0 in The flexible tie F extends through spaced a folded position on the outside of the car at apertures in a tie-plate 13 to form the loop F the time the device is not in use, so that the 50 at the inner side of the tie-plate, as plainly arm 0 does not unduly project from the side shown in Fig. 4. On the said tie is formed a of the car to strike objects along the track.

The other arm K is provided with a catch S to hold it in an active position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this catch S is held on the framework N and is adapted to engage the free end of an extension K of the arm K.

The arms 0 and K are held free to slide on the pivots B and L, as previously mentioned, but are held normally against such sliding motion by springs T, coiled on the said pivots B and L and pressing opposite sides of the arms 0 and K to allow the latter to slide in either direction on their pivots against the tension of the corresponding spring at the time a longitudinal pull is exerted on the arms 0 and K by the ties F F suspended thereon, and be caught in the opposite receiving device 0 or I at the time the mail car passes the station H. When this sliding movement of the arms 0 and K takes place, the lug 0 moves from under the catch Q and the extension K moves away from the catch S, so that the arms are unlocked and are now free to swing downward by their own weight and that of the mail-pouches G or G, caught up and suspended from the receiving devices I and 0. Each receiving device I and O is provided on each side with a guideway U to guide the corresponding tie F or F to its receiving device. Each of the receiving devices I and O is in the form of a U-shaped spring secured at its middle to the top surface of the arms 0 or K, the ends of each spring forming jaws normally closed and adapted to be opened by pressure of the tie F or F Thus when a tie is forced through the jaws of the U-shaped spring the tie passes into the opening of the receiving device, and as this opening is smaller than the ends of the tie it is evident that the tie is held in position in the receiving device until removed therefrom by force exerted by the operator in pulling the tie again outward between the jaws formed by the spring.

Pins U may be arranged on the under side of the guideways U to engage the ties F F at the time the arms C and K swing down after the bags are exchanged. (See Fig. 3.) When the arms 0 and K are locked in Working position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, then the hook D stands above the receiving device 0 and the hook J stands above the receiving device I at the time the car passes the station, the arm 0 and K being so shaped, however, as to readily clear each other on the car passing the station, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows: The pouch G is suspendedv by its tie F from the hook J and is held against swaying in the wind by engaging the lower hook E with the hook P, the arm K being locked in an active position by the extension K engaging the catch S. Now the operator in charge of the mail-car A suspends the tie F, carrying the pouch G, from the hook D and then swings the arm 0 into a normal active position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the arm being locked in this position by the catch Q engaging the undercut lug O. The tie F is now in alinement with the guideways U, leading to the receiving device I, held on the arm 0 of the approaching mail-car, while the tie F, carrying the mail-pouch G, is in alinement with the guideways U for the receiving device 0, so that when the car passes the station H the ties F and F are guided by the guideways U to the receiving devices I and O and are forced through the jaws thereof to the inside thereof and drawn partly through the same until the mail bags or pouches G G abut against the under side of the guideways, so as to exert a back pull on the ties to pull the open hooks E out of the hooks J and D, the incident pull on the said ties causing a longitudinal sliding of the arms 0 and K, so that the lug 0 moves out of engagement with the catch Q and the extension K moves out of engagement with the catch S. Now as soon as this takes place the arms 0 and K swing downward by their own weight and that of the ties F and F and the pouches G and G, carried thereby, it being understood that the pouch G is now held by the device on the station H and the pouch G is held by the device on the mail car, so that the attendant in charge thereof can pull this pouch G to the inside of the car and detach the tie from the receiving device I, as previously explained. In a similar manner the man in charge of the station H disengages the tie F from the receiving device 0, carrying the pouch G. The pouches are now exchanged and the catching and delivering devices are in an unlocked position, ready to be reset when required.

The spring-hook E on the end of the tie F for engaging the hook J is preferably somewhat stronger than the other spring-hook E engaging the hook P on the spring-arm P, so that the tie is first released from the hook P before it is disengaged from the hook J.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on a track-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, and a receiving device on each arm, for receiving a pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm, as set forth.

2. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on a track-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, a receiving device on each arm, for receiving a pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm, and catches for engaging the arms, to hold the same set in pouch-exchange position, as set forth.

A mail delivering and catching device,

comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on atrack-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, a receiving device on each arm, for receiving a pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm, and catches for engaging the arms, to hold the same set in pouch-exchange position, the catches being arranged to release the arms on the latter sliding longitudinally on their pivots, as set forth.

4. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms, of which one is mounted to swing and to slide longitudinally on a car and the other is similarly mounted on a track-station, a suspending device on each arm for supporting a pouch, a receiving device on each arm for receiving the pouch, the suspending device on one arm and the receiving device on the other arm lying in the same vertical plane, at the time the parts are set in pouch-exchanging position and the car passes the station, and a hook fixed at the track-station and adapted to be engaged by the lower end of the pouch-suspending device, as set forth.

5. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on a track-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, a receiving device on each arm, for receiving a pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm, catches for engaging the arms, to hold the same set in pouch-exchange position, and springs pressing the arms at their fulcrums, to hold the arms yieldingly in position for the catches to engage the arms, as set forth.

6. A mail delivering and catching device, provided with a suspension device for a pouch, and comprising a flexible tie, and a tie-plate having spaced apertures for the passage of the tie to form a loop or noose in the tie at one side of the tie-plate, as set forth.

7. A mail delivering and catching device, provided with a suspension device for a pouch, and comprising a flexible tie, a tieplate having spaced apertures for the passage of the tie to form a loop or noose in the tie at one side of the tie-plate, and a stop on the tie, to abut against the face of the tie-plate, as set forth.

8. A mail delivering and catching device, provided withasuspension device fora pouch, and comprising a flexible tie, a tie-plate having spaced apertures for the passage of the tie to form a loop or noose in the tie at one side of the tie-plate, and open spring-hooks on the ends of the tie, as set forth.

9. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on a track-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, a receiving device on each arm, for receiving the pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm, and guideways leading to the entrance ends of the receiving devices, as set forth.

10. A mail delivering and catching device, comprising arms mounted to swing and to slide lengthwise on their pivots, one of the arms being located on a car and the other on a track-station, a hook on the free end of each arm, to suspend a pouch, and a receivingdevice on each arm, for receiving the pouch, the receiving device being arranged between the hook and the pivot of the arm,'the said arms being arranged to clear each other on the car passing the station and the hook of one arm standing above the receiving device of the other arm, at the time the car passes the station, as set forth.

11. A mail-bag delivering and catching device, comprising two arms, one on a car, and the other on a track-station and each mounted to swing and to slide longitudinally, and

provided with a hook at its free end and with a receiving device between the hook and pivot, springs on the pivots of the arms and pressing on opposite sides of the said arms, catches for holding the arms in operative positions and flexible pouch-ties provided with spring-hooks for engaging the hooks of the said arms, as set forth.

12. A mail-bag delivering and catching device, comprising two arms, one on a car and the other on atrack-station and each mounted to swing and slide longitudinally, said 'arms being provided with a hook at its end, a

receiving device between the hook and pivot, a guideway leading to the receiving device, and a pin on the under side of the guideway, springs for holding the arms normally from sliding, catches for holding the arms in operative positions, and flexible pouch-ties pro- 

